REPUBLIC ACT NO.

9700

(August 7, 2009)

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN

REFORM PROGRAM (CARP), EXTENDING THE ACQUISITION AND
DISTRIBUTION OF ALL AGRICULTURAL LANDS, INSTITUTING
NECESSARY REFORMS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE CERTAIN
PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6657, OTHERWISE, KNOWN AS
THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM LAW OF 1988, AS
AMENDED, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

SECTION 1. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, otherwise

known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, is hereby further
amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 2. Declaration of Principles and Policies. — It is the policy
of the State to pursue a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
The welfare of the landless farmers and farmworkers will receive the highest
consideration to promote social justice and to move the nation toward sound
rural development and industrialization, and the establishment of owner
cultivatorship of economic-size farms as the basis of Philippine agriculture.
"The State shall promote industrialization and full employment based
on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform, through industries
that make full and efficient use of human and natural resources, and which are
competitive in both domestic and foreign markets: Provided, That the
conversion of agricultural lands into industrial, commercial or residential
lands shall take into account, tillers' rights and national food security. Further,
the State shall protect Filipino enterprises against unfair foreign competition
and trade practices. ACcHIa
"The State recognizes that there is not enough agricultural land to be
divided and distributed to each farmer and regular farmworker so that each
one can own his/her economic-size family farm. This being the case, a
meaningful agrarian reform program to uplift the lives and economic status of
the farmer and his/her children can only be achieved through simultaneous
industrialization aimed at developing a self-reliant and independent national
economy effectively controlled by Filipinos.
"To this end, the State may, in the interest of national welfare or
defense, establish and operate vital industries.
"A more equitable distribution and ownership of land, with due regard
to the rights of landowners to just compensation, retention rights under
Section 6 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, and to the ecological needs
of the nation, shall be undertaken to provide farmers and farmworkers with
the opportunity to enhance their dignity and improve the quality of their lives
through greater productivity of agricultural lands.
"The agrarian reform program is founded on the right of farmers and
regular farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively the
lands they till or, in the case of other farmworkers, to receive a just share of
the fruits thereof. To this end, the State shall encourage and undertake the just
distribution of all agricultural lands, subject to the priorities and retention
limits set forth in this Act, taking into account ecological, developmental, and
equity considerations, and subject to the payment of just compensation. The
State shall respect the right of small landowners, and shall provide incentive
for voluntary land-sharing.
"As much as practicable, the implementation of the program shall be
community-based to assure, among others, that the farmers shall have greater
control of farmgate prices, and easier access to credit. DCIAST
"The State shall recognize the right of farmers, farmworkers and
landowners, as well as cooperatives and other independent farmers'
organizations, to participate in the planning, organization, and management of
the program, and shall provide support to agriculture through appropriate
technology and research, and adequate financial, production, marketing and
other support services.
"The State shall recognize and enforce, consistent with existing laws,
the rights of rural women to own and control land, taking into consideration
the substantive equality between men and women as qualified beneficiaries, to
receive a just share of the fruits thereof, and to be represented in advisory or
appropriate decision- making bodies. These rights shall be independent of their
male relatives and of their civil status.
"The State shall apply the principles of agrarian reform, or
stewardship, whenever applicable, in accordance with law, in the disposition
or utilization of other natural resources, including lands of the public domain,
under lease or concession, suitable to agriculture, subject to prior rights,
homestead rights of small settlers and the rights of indigenous communities to
their ancestral lands.
"The State may resettle landless farmers and farmworkers in its own
agricultural estates, which shall be distributed to them in the manner provided
by law. cADEHI
"By means of appropriate incentives, the State shall encourage the
formation and maintenance of economic-size family farms to be constituted
by individual beneficiaries and small landowners.
"The State shall protect the rights of subsistence fishermen, especially
of local communities, to the preferential use of communal marine and fishing
resources, both inland and offshore. It shall provide support to such fishermen
 through appropriate technology and research, adequate financial, production
and marketing assistance and other services. The State shall also protect,
develop and conserve such resources. The protection shall extend to offshore
fishing grounds of subsistence fishermen against foreign intrusion.
Fishworkers shall receive a just share from their labor in the utilization of
marine and fishing resources.
"The State shall be guided by the principles that land has a social
function and land ownership has a social responsibility. Owners of
agricultural land have the obligation to cultivate directly or through labor
administration the lands they own and thereby make the land productive.
"The State shall provide incentives to landowners to invest the
proceeds of the agrarian reform program to promote industrialization,
employment and privatization of public sector enterprises. Financial
instruments used as payment for lands shall contain features that shall
enhance negotiability and acceptability in the marketplace. SDcITH
"The State may lease undeveloped lands of the public domain to
qualified entities for the development of capital- intensive farms, and
traditional and pioneering crops especially those for exports subject to the
prior rights of the beneficiaries under this Act."
SECTION 2. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 3. Definitions. — For the purpose of this Act, unless the
context indicates otherwise:
"xxx xxx xxx
"(f) Farmer refers to a natural person whose primary livelihood is
cultivation of land or the production of agricultural crops, livestock and/or
fisheries either by himself/herself, or primarily with the assistance of his/her
immediate farm household, whether the land is owned by him/her, or by
another person under a leasehold or share tenancy agreement or arrangement
with the owner thereof.
"xxx xxx xxx
"(l) Rural women refer to women who are engaged directly or
indirectly in farming and/or fishing as their source of livelihood, whether paid
or unpaid, regular or seasonal, or in food preparation, managing the
household, caring for the children, and other similar activities."
SECTION 3. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 4. Scope. — The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of
1988 shall cover, regardless of tenurial arrangement and commodity
produced, all public and private agricultural lands as provided in Proclamation
No. 131 and Executive Order No. 229, including other lands of the public
 domain suitable for agriculture: Provided, That landholdings of landowners
with a total area of five (5) hectares and below shall not be covered for
acquisition and distribution to qualified beneficiaries. IHAcCS
"More specifically, the following lands are covered by the CARP:
"(a) All alienable and disposable lands of the public domain devoted
to or suitable for agriculture. No reclassification of forest or mineral lands to
agricultural lands shall be undertaken after the approval of this Act until
Congress, taking into account ecological, developmental and equity
considerations, shall have determined by law, the specific limits of the public
domain;
"(b) All lands of the public domain in excess of the specific limits as
determined by Congress in the preceding paragraph;
"(c) All other lands owned by the Government devoted to or suitable
for agriculture; and
"(d) All private lands devoted to or suitable for agriculture regardless
of the agricultural products raised or that can be raised thereon.
"A comprehensive inventory system in consonance with the national
land use plan shall be instituted by the Department of Agrarian Reform
(DAR), in accordance with the Local Government Code, for the purpose of
properly identifying and classifying farmlands within one (1) year from
effectivity of this Act, without prejudice to the implementation of the land
acquisition and distribution."
SECTION 4. There shall be incorporated after Section 6 of Republic Act No.
6657, as amended, new sections to read as follows: EHTISC

"SEC. 6-A. Exception to Retention Limits. — Provincial, city and

municipal government units acquiring private agricultural lands by
expropriation or other modes of acquisition to be used for actual, direct and
exclusive public purposes, such as roads and bridges, public markets, school
sites, resettlement sites, local government facilities, public parks and barangay
plazas or squares, consistent with the approved local comprehensive land use
plan, shall not be subject to the five (5)- hectare retention limit under this
Section and Sections 70 and 73(a) of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended:
Provided, That lands subject to CARP shall first undergo the land acquisition
and distribution process of the program: Provided, further, That when these
lands have been subjected to expropriation, the agrarian reform beneficiaries
therein shall be paid just compensation."
"SEC. 6-B. Review of Limits of Land Size. — Within six (6) months
from the effectivity of this Act, the DAR shall submit a comprehensive study
on the land size appropriate for each type of crop to Congress for a possible
review of limits of land sizes provided in this Act."
SECTION 5. Section 7 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
 "SEC. 7. Priorities. — The DAR, in coordination with the
Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) shall plan and program the
final acquisition and distribution of all remaining unacquired and
undistributed agricultural lands from the effectivity of this Act until June 30,
2014. Lands shall be acquired and distributed as follows:
"Phase One: During the five (5)-year extension period hereafter all
remaining lands above fifty (50) hectares shall be covered for purposes of
agrarian reform upon the effectivity of this Act. All private agricultural lands
of landowners with aggregate landholdings in excess of fifty (50) hectares
which have already been subjected to a notice of coverage issued on or before
December 10, 2008; rice and corn lands under Presidential Decree No. 27; all
idle or abandoned lands; all private lands voluntarily offered by the owners
for agrarian reform: Provided, That with respect to voluntary land transfer,
only those submitted by June 30, 2009 shall be allowed: Provided, further,
That after June 30, 2009, the modes of acquisition shall be limited to
voluntary offer to sell and compulsory acquisition: Provided, furthermore,
That all previously acquired lands wherein valuation is subject to challenge by
landowners shall be completed and finally resolved pursuant to Section 17 of
Republic Act No. 6657, as amended: Provided, finally, as mandated by the
Constitution, Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, and Republic Act No.
3844, as amended, only farmers (tenants or lessees) and regular farmworkers
actually tilling the lands, as certified under oath by the Barangay Agrarian
Reform Council (BARC) and attested under oath by the landowners, are the
qualified beneficiaries. The intended beneficiary shall state under oath before
the judge of the city or municipal court that he/she is willing to work on the
land to make it productive and to assume the obligation of paying the
amortization for the compensation of the land and the land taxes thereon; all
lands foreclosed by government financial institutions; all lands acquired by
the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG); and all other
lands owned by the government devoted to or suitable for agriculture, which
shall be acquired and distributed immediately upon the effectivity of this Act,
with the implementation to be completed by June 30, 2012; IcHTCS
"Phase Two: (a) Lands twenty-four (24) hectares up to fifty (50)
hectares shall likewise be covered for purposes of agrarian reform upon the
effectivity of this Act. All alienable and disposable public agricultural lands;
all arable public agricultural lands under agro- forest, pasture and agricultural
leases already cultivated and planted to crops in accordance with Section 6,
Article XIII of the Constitution; all public agricultural lands which are to be
opened for new development and resettlement; and all private agricultural
lands of landowners with aggregate landholdings: above twenty-four (24)
hectares up to fifty (50) hectares which have already been subjected to a
notice of coverage issued on or before December 10, 2008, to implement
principally the rights of farmers and regular farmworkers, who are landless, to
own directly or collectively the lands they till, which shall be distributed
immediately upon the effectivity of this Act, with the implementation to be
completed by June 30, 2012; and
 "(b) All remaining private agricultural lands of landowners with
aggregate landholdings in excess of twenty- four (24) hectares, regardless as to
whether these have been subjected to notices of coverage or not, with the
implementation to begin on July 1, 2012 and to be completed by June 30,
2013;
"Phase Three: All other private agricultural lands commencing with
large landholdings and proceeding to medium and small landholdings under
the following schedule:
"(a) Lands of landowners with aggregate landholdings above ten (10)
hectares up to twenty-four (24) hectares, insofar as the excess hectarage above
ten (10) hectares is concerned, to begin on July 1, 2012 and to be completed
by June 30, 2013; and
"(b) Lands of landowners with aggregate landholdings from the
retention limit up to ten (10) hectares, to begin on July 1, 2013 and to be
completed by June 30, 2014; to implement principally the right of farmers and
regular farmworkers who are landless, to own directly or collectively the
lands they till. aESICD
"The schedule of acquisition and redistribution of all agricultural lands
covered by this program shall be made in accordance with the above order of
priority, which shall be provided in the implementing rules to be prepared by
the PARC, taking into consideration the following: the landholdings wherein
the farmers are organized and understand the meaning and obligations of
farmland ownership; the distribution of lands to the tillers at the earliest
practicable time; the enhancement of agricultural productivity; and the
availability of funds and resources to implement and support the program:
Provided, That the PARC shall design and conduct seminars, symposia,
information campaigns, and other similar programs for farmers who are not
organized or not covered by any landholdings. Completion by these farmers
of the aforementioned seminars, symposia, and other similar programs shall
be encouraged in the implementation of this Act particularly the provisions of
this Section.
"Land acquisition and distribution shall be completed by June 30,
2014 on a province-by-province basis. In any case, the PARC or the PARC
Executive Committee (PARC EXCOM), upon recommendation by the
Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (PARCCOM), may
declare certain provinces as priority land reform areas, in which case the
acquisition and distribution of private agricultural lands therein under
advanced phases may be implemented ahead of the above schedules on the
condition that prior phases in these provinces have been completed: Provided,
That notwithstanding the above schedules, phase three (b) shall not be
implemented in a particular province until at least ninety percent (90%) of the
provincial balance of that particular province as of January 1, 2009 under
Phase One, Phase Two (a), Phase Two (b), and Phase Three (a), excluding
 lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR), have been successfully completed.
"The PARC shall establish guidelines to implement the above
priorities and distribution scheme, including the determination of who are
qualified beneficiaries: Provided, That an owner-tiller may be a beneficiary of
the land he/she does not own but is actually cultivating to the extent of the
difference between the area of the land he/she owns and the award ceiling of
three (3) hectares: Provided, further, That collective ownership by the farmer
beneficiaries shall be subject to Section 25 of Republic Act No. 6657, as
amended: Provided, furthermore, That rural women shall be given the
opportunity to participate in the development planning and implementation of
this Act: Provided, finally, That in no case should the agrarian reform
beneficiaries' sex, economic, religious, social, cultural and political attributes
adversely affect the distribution of lands."
SECTION 6. The title of Section 16 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is
hereby further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 16. Procedure for Acquisition and Distribution of Private
Lands."
SECTION 7. Section 17 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows: CSTEHI

"SEC. 17. Determination of Just Compensation. — In determining

just compensation, the cost of acquisition of the land, the value of the standing
crop, the current value of like properties, its nature, actual use and income, the
sworn valuation by the owner, the tax declarations, the assessment made by
government assessors, and seventy percent (70%) of the zonal valuation of the
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), translated into a basic formula by the DAR
shall be considered, subject to the final decision of the proper court. The
social and economic benefits contributed by the farmers and the farmworkers
and by the Government to the property as well as the nonpayment of taxes or
loans secured from any government financing institution on the said land shall
be considered as additional factors to determine its valuation."
SECTION 8. There shall be incorporated after Section 22 of Republic Act No.
6657, as amended, a new section to read as follows:
"SEC. 22-A. Order of Priority. — A landholding of a landowner shall
be distributed first to qualified beneficiaries under Section 22, subparagraphs
(a) and (b) of that same landholding up to a maximum of three (3) hectares
each. Only when these beneficiaries have all received three (3) hectares each,
shall the remaining portion of the landholding, if any, be distributed to other
beneficiaries under Section 22, subparagraphs (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g)."
SECTION 9. Section 24 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
 "SEC. 24. Award to Beneficiaries. — The rights and responsibilities
of the beneficiaries shall commence from their receipt of a duly registered
emancipation patent or certificate of land ownership award and their actual
physical possession of the awarded land. Such award shall be completed in
not more than one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of registration of
the title in the name of the Republic of the Philippines: Provided, That the
emancipation patents, the certificates of land ownership award, and other titles
issued under any agrarian reform program shall be indefeasible and
imprescriptible after one (1) year from its registration with the Office of the
Registry of Deeds, subject to the conditions, limitations and qualifications of
this Act, the property registration decree, and other pertinent laws. The
emancipation patents or the certificates of land ownership award being titles
brought under the operation of the torrens system, are conferred with the same
indefeasibility and security afforded to all titles under the said system, as
provided for by Presidential Decree No. 1529, as amended by Republic Act
No. 6732.
"It is the ministerial duty of the Registry of Deeds to register the title
of the land in the name of the Republic of the Philippines, after the Land Bank
of the Philippines (LBP) has certified that the necessary deposit in the name
of the landowner constituting full payment in cash or in bond with due notice
to the landowner and the registration of the certificate of land ownership
award issued to the beneficiaries, and to cancel previous titles pertaining
thereto.
"Identified and qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries, based on
Section 22 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, shall have usufructuary
rights over the awarded land as soon as the DAR takes possession of such
land, and such right shall not be diminished even pending the awarding of the
emancipation patent or the certificate of land ownership award. CTSHDI
"All cases involving the cancellation of registered emancipation
patents, certificates of land ownership award, and other titles issued under any
agrarian reform program are within the exclusive and original jurisdiction of
the Secretary of the DAR."
SECTION 10. Section 25 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 25. Award Ceilings for Beneficiaries. — Beneficiaries shall
be awarded an area not exceeding three (3) hectares, which may cover a
contiguous tract of land or several parcels of land cumulated up to the
prescribed award limits. The determination of the size of the land for
distribution shall consider crop type, soil type, weather patterns and other
pertinent variables or factors which are deemed critical for the success of the
beneficiaries.
"For purposes of this Act, a landless beneficiary is one who owns less
than three (3) hectares of agricultural land.
 "Whenever appropriate, the DAR shall encourage the agrarian reform
beneficiaries to form or join farmers' cooperatives for purposes of affiliating
with existing cooperative banks in their respective provinces or localities, as
well as forming blocs of agrarian reform beneficiaries, corporations, and
partnerships and joining other farmers' collective organizations, including
irrigators' associations: Provided, That the agrarian reform beneficiaries shall
be assured of corresponding shares in the corporation, seats in the board of
directors, and an equitable share in the profit.
"In general, the land awarded to a farmer-beneficiary should be in the
form of an individual title, covering one (1) contiguous tract or several parcels
of land cumulated up to a maximum of three (3) hectares. EHASaD
"The beneficiaries may opt for collective ownership, such as coorkers
or farmers cooperative or some other form of collective organization and for
the issuance of collective ownership titles: Provided, That the total area that
may be awarded shall not exceed the total number of co-owners or members
of the cooperative or collective organization multiplied by the award limit
above prescribed, except in meritorious cases as determined by the PARC.
"The conditions for the issuance of collective titles are as follows:
"(a) The current farm management system of the land covered by
CARP will not be appropriate for individual farming of farm parcels;
"(b) The farm labor system is specialized, where the farmworkers are
organized by functions and not by specific parcels such as spraying, weeding,
packing and other similar functions;
"(c) The potential beneficiaries are currently not farming individual
parcels but collectively work on large contiguous areas; and
"(d) The farm consists of multiple crops being farmed in an
integrated manner or includes non-crop production areas that are necessary for
the viability of farm operations, such as packing plants, storage areas, dikes,
and other similar facilities that cannot be subdivided or assigned to individual
farmers.
"For idle and abandoned lands or underdeveloped agricultural lands to
be covered by CARP, collective ownership shall be allowed only if the
beneficiaries opt for it and there is a clear development plan that would
require collective farming or integrated farm operations exhibiting the
conditions described above. Otherwise, the land awarded to a farmer-
beneficiary should be in the form of an individual title, covering one (1)
contiguous tract or several parcels of land cumulated up to a maximum of
three (3) hectares. HISAET
"In case of collective ownership, title to the property shall be issued in
the name of the co-owners or the cooperative or collective organization as the
case may be. If the certificates of land ownership award are given to
cooperatives then the names of the beneficiaries must also be listed in the
same certificate of land ownership award.
 "With regard to existing collective certificates of land ownership
award, the DAR should immediately undertake the parcelization of said
certificates of land ownership award, particularly those that do not exhibit the
conditions for collective ownership outlined above. The DAR shall conduct a
review and redocumentation of all the collective certificates of land ownership
award. The DAR shall prepare a prioritized list of certificates of land
ownership award to be parcelized. The parcelization shall commence
immediately upon approval of this Act and shall not exceed a period of three
(3) years. Only those existing certificates of land ownership award that are
collectively farmed or are operated in an integrated manner shall remain as
collective."
SECTION 11. Section 26 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 26. Payment by Beneficiaries. — Lands awarded pursuant to
this Act shall be paid for by the beneficiaries to the LBP in thirty (30) annual
amortizations at six percent (6%) interest per annum. The annual amortization
shall start one (1) year from the date of the certificate of land ownership
award registration. However, if the occupancy took place after the certificate
of land ownership award registration, the amortization shall start one (1) year
from actual occupancy. The payments for the first three (3) years after the
award shall be at reduced amounts as established by the PARC: Provided,
That the first five (5) annual payments may not be more than five percent
(5%) of the value of the annual gross production as established by the DAR.
Should the scheduled annual payments after the fifth (5th) year exceed ten
percent (10%) of the annual gross production and the failure to produce
accordingly is not due to the beneficiary's fault, the LBP shall reduce the
interest rate and/or reduce the principal obligation to make the repayment
affordable. IDcAHT
"The LBP shall have a lien by way of mortgage on the land awarded to
the beneficiary; and this mortgage may be foreclosed by the LBP for non-
payment of an aggregate of three (3) annual amortizations. The LBP shall
advise the DAR of such proceedings and the latter shall subsequently award
the forfeited landholding to other qualified beneficiaries. A beneficiary whose
land, as provided herein, has been foreclosed shall thereafter be permanently
disqualified from becoming a beneficiary under this Act."
SECTION 12. Section 27 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 27. Transferability of Awarded Lands. — Lands acquired by
beneficiaries under this Act or other agrarian reform laws shall not be sold,
transferred or conveyed except through hereditary succession, or to the
government, or to the LBP, or to other qualified beneficiaries through the
DAR for a period of ten (10) years: Provided, however, That the children or
the spouse of the transferor shall have a right to repurchase the land from the
government or LBP within a period of two (2) years. Due notice of the
 availability of the land shall be given by the LBP to the BARC of the
barangay where the land is situated. The PARCCOM, as herein provided,
shall, in turn, be given due notice thereof by the BARC.
"The title of the land awarded under the agrarian reform must indicate
that it is an emancipation patent or a certificate of land ownership award and
the subsequent transfer title must also indicate that it is an emancipation
patent or a certificate of land ownership award.
"If the land has not yet been fully paid by the beneficiary, the rights to
the land may be transferred or conveyed, with prior approval of the DAR, to
any heir of the beneficiary or to any other beneficiary who, as a condition for
such transfer or conveyance, shall cultivate the land himself/herself. Failing
compliance herewith, the land shall be transferred to the LBP which shall give
due notice of the availability of the land in the manner specified in the
immediately preceding paragraph.
"In the event of such transfer to the LBP, the latter shall compensate
the beneficiary in one lump sum for the amounts the latter has already paid,
together with the value of improvements he/she has made on the land." CIAHaT

SECTION 13. Section 36 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby

further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 36. Funding for Support Services. — In order to cover the
expenses and cost of support services, at least forty percent (40%) of all
appropriations for agrarian reform during the five (5)-year extension period
shall be immediately set aside and made available for this purpose: Provided,
That the DAR shall pursue integrated land acquisition and distribution and
support services strategy requiring a plan to be developed parallel to the land
acquisition and distribution process. The planning and implementation for
land acquisition and distribution shall be hand-in- hand with support services
delivery: Provided, further, That for the next five (5) years, as far as
practicable, a minimum of two (2) Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs)
shall be established by the DAR, in coordination with the local government
units, non-governmental organizations, community-based cooperatives and
people's organizations in each legislative district with a predominant
agricultural population: Provided, furthermore, That the areas in which the
ARCs are to be established shall have been substantially covered under the
provisions of this Act and other agrarian or land reform laws: Provided,
finally, That a complementary support services delivery strategy for existing
agrarian reform beneficiaries that are not in barangays within the ARCs shall
be adopted by the DAR.
"For this purpose, an Agrarian Reform Community is composed and
managed by agrarian reform beneficiaries who shall be willing to be
organized and to undertake the integrated development of an area and/or their
organizations/cooperatives. In each community, the DAR, together with the
agencies and organizations abovementioned, shall identify the farmers'
association, cooperative or their respective federations approved by the
 farmers-beneficiaries that shall take the lead in the agricultural development
of the area. In addition, the DAR, in close coordination with the congressional
oversight committee created herein, with due notice to the concerned
representative of the legislative district prior to implementation shall be
authorized to package proposals and receive grants, aids and other forms of
financial assistance from any source."
SECTION 14. Section 37 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 37. Support Services for the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries.
— The State shall adopt the integrated policy of support services delivery to
agrarian reform beneficiaries. To this end, the DAR, the Department of
Finance, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shall institute reforms to
liberalize access to credit by agrarian reform beneficiaries. The PARC shall
ensure that support services for agrarian reform beneficiaries are provided,
such as:
"(a) Land surveys and titling;
"(b) Socialized terms on agricultural credit facilities;
"Thirty percent (30%) of all appropriations for support services
referred to in Section 36 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, shall be
immediately set aside and made available for agricultural credit facilities:
Provided, That one-third (1/3) of this segregated appropriation shall be
specifically allocated for subsidies to support the initial capitalization for
agricultural production to new agrarian reform beneficiaries upon the
awarding of the emancipation patent or the certificate of land ownership
award and the remaining two-thirds (2/3) shall be allocated to provide access
to socialized credit to existing agrarian reform beneficiaries, including the
leaseholders: Provided, further, the LBP and other concerned government
financial institutions, accredited savings and credit cooperatives, financial
service cooperatives and accredited cooperative banks shall provide the
delivery system for disbursement of the above financial assistance to
individual agrarian reform beneficiaries, holders of collective titles and
cooperatives. HIEAcC
"For this purpose, all financing institutions may accept as collateral for
loans the purchase orders, marketing agreements or expected harvests:
Provided, That loans obtained shall be used in the improvement or
development of the farmholding of the agrarian reform beneficiary or the
establishment of facilities which shall enhance production or marketing of
agricultural products or increase farm income therefrom: Provided, further,
That of the remaining seventy percent (70%) for the support services, fifteen
percent (15%) shall be earmarked for farm inputs as requested by the duly
accredited agrarian reform beneficiaries' organizations, such as, but not
limited to: (1) seeds, seedlings and/or planting materials; (2) organic
fertilizers; (3) pesticides; (4) herbicides; and (5) farm animals,
 implements/machineries; and five percent (5%) for seminars, trainings and the
like to help empower agrarian reform beneficiaries.
"(c) Extension services by way of planting, cropping, production and
post-harvest technology transfer, as well as marketing and management
assistance and support to cooperatives and farmers' organizations;
"(d) Infrastructure such as, but not limited to, access trails, mini-
dams, public utilities, marketing and storage facilities;
"(e) Research, production and use of organic fertilizers and other
local substances necessary in farming and cultivation; and
"(f) Direct and active DAR assistance in the education and
organization of actual and potential agrarian reform beneficiaries, at the
barangay, municipal, city, provincial, and national levels, towards helping
them understand their rights and responsibilities as owner-cultivators
developing farm-related trust relationships among themselves and their
neighbors, and increasing farm production and profitability with the ultimate
end of empowering them to chart their own destiny. The representatives of the
agrarian reform beneficiaries to the PARC shall be chosen from the nominees
of the duly accredited agrarian reform beneficiaries' organizations, or in its
absence, from organizations of actual and potential agrarian reform
beneficiaries as forwarded to and processed by the PARC EXCOM.
DAHEaT
"The PARC shall formulate policies to ensure that support services for
agrarian reform beneficiaries shall be provided at all stages of the program
implementation with the concurrence of the concerned agrarian reform
beneficiaries.
"The PARC shall likewise adopt, implement, and monitor policies and
programs to ensure the fundamental equality of women and men in the
agrarian reform program as well as respect for the human rights, social
protection, and decent working conditions of both paid and unpaid men and
women farmer-beneficiaries.
"The Bagong Kilusang Kabuhayan sa Kaunlaran (BKKK) Secretariat
shall be transferred and attached to the LBP, for its supervision including all
its applicable and existing funds, personnel, properties, equipment and
records.
"Misuse or diversion of the financial and support services herein
provided shall result in sanctions against the beneficiary guilty thereof,
including the forfeiture of the land transferred to him/her or lesser sanctions as
may be provided by the PARC, without prejudice to criminal prosecution."
SECTION 15. There shall be incorporated after Section 37 of Republic Act
No. 6657, as amended, a new section to read as follows:
 "SEC. 37-A. Equal Support Services for Rural Women. — Support
services shall be extended equally to women and men agrarian reform
beneficiaries. cHESAD
"The PARC shall ensure that these support services, as provided for in
this Act, integrate the specific needs and well-being of women farmer-
beneficiaries taking into account the specific requirements of female family
members of farmer-beneficiaries.
"The PARC shall also ensure that rural women will be able to
participate in all community activities. To this effect, rural women are entitled
to self-organization in order to obtain equal access to economic opportunities
and to have access to agricultural credit and loans, marketing facilities and
technology, and other support services, and equal treatment in land reform
and resettlement schemes.
"The DAR shall establish and maintain a women's desk, which will be
primarily responsible for formulating and implementing programs and
activities related to the protection and promotion of women's rights, as well as
providing an avenue where women can register their complaints and
grievances principally related to their rural activities."
SECTION 16. Section 38 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 38. Support Services for Landowners. — The PARC, with
the assistance of such other government agencies and instrumentalities as it
may direct, shall provide landowners affected by the CARP and prior agrarian
reform programs with the following services:
"(a) Investment information, financial and counseling assistance,
particularly investment information on government-owned and/or -controlled
corporations and disposable assets of the government in pursuit of national
industrialization and economic independence:
"(b) Facilities, programs and schemes for the conversion or exchange
of bonds issued for payment of the lands acquired with stocks and bonds
issued by the National Government, the BSP and other government
institutions and instrumentalities; aSIDCT
"(c) Marketing of agrarian reform bonds, as well as promoting the
marketability of said bonds in traditional and non-traditional financial markets
and stock exchanges; and/or
"(d) Other services designed to utilize productively the proceeds of
the sale of such lands for rural industrialization.
"A landowner who invests in rural-based industries shall be entitled to
the incentives granted to a registered enterprise engaged in a pioneer or
preferred area of investment as provided for in the Omnibus Investment Code
of 1987, or to such other incentives as the PARC, the LBP, or other
government financial institutions shall provide.
 "The LBP shall redeem a landowner's agrarian reform bonds at face
value as an incentive: Provided, That at least fifty percent (50%) of the
proceeds thereof shall be invested in a Board of Investments (BOI)-registered
company or in any agri-business or agro-industrial enterprise in the region
where the CARP-covered landholding is located. An additional incentive of
two percent (2%) in cash shall be paid to a landowner who maintains his/her
enterprise as a going concern for five (5) years or keeps his/her investments in
a BOI-registered firm for the same period: Provided, further, That the rights
of the agrarian reform beneficiaries are not, in any way, prejudiced or
impaired thereby.
"The DAR, the LBP and the Department of Trade and Industry shall
jointly formulate the program to carry out these provisions under the
supervision of the PARC: Provided, That in no case shall the landowners' sex,
economic, religious, social, cultural and political attributes exclude them from
accessing these support services." SEHTAC

SECTION 17. Section 41 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby

further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 41. The Presidential Agrarian Reform Council. — The
Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) shall be composed of the
President of the Philippines as Chairperson, the Secretary of Agrarian Reform
as Vice-Chairperson and the following as members: Secretaries of the
Departments of Agriculture; Environment and Natural Resources; Budget and
Management; Interior and Local Government; Public Works and Highways;
Trade and Industry; Finance; and Labor and Employment; Director-General
of the National Economic and Development Authority; President, Land Bank
of the Philippines; Administrator, National Irrigation Administration;
Administrator, Land Registration Authority; and six (6) representatives of
affected landowners to represent Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao; six (6)
representatives of agrarian reform beneficiaries, two (2) each from Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao: Provided, That at least one (1) of them shall be from
the indigenous peoples: Provided, further, That at least one (1) of them shall
come from a duly recognized national organization of rural women or a
national organization of agrarian reform beneficiaries with a substantial
number of women members: Provided, finally, That at least twenty percent
(20%) of the members of the PARC shall be women but in no case shall they
be less than two (2)." cdrep

SECTION 18. Section 50 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby

further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 50. Quasi-Judicial Powers of the DAR. — The DAR is
hereby vested with primary jurisdiction to determine and adjudicate agrarian
reform matters and shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over all matters
involving the implementation of agrarian reform, except those falling under
the exclusive jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the
DENR.
 "It shall not be bound by technical rules of procedure and evidence but
shall proceed to hear and decide all cases, disputes or controversies in a most
expeditious manner, employing all reasonable means to ascertain the facts of
every case in accordance with justice and equity and the merits of the case.
Toward this end, it shall adopt a uniform rule of procedure to achieve a just,
expeditious and inexpensive determination of every action or proceeding
before it.
"It shall have the power to summon witnesses, administer oaths, take
testimony, require submission of reports, compel the production of books and
documents and answers to interrogatories and issue subpoena, and subpoena
duces tecum and to enforce its writs through sheriffs or other duly deputized
officers. It shall likewise have the power to punish direct and indirect
contempts in the same manner and subject to the same penalties as provided
in the Rules of Court.
"Responsible farmer leaders shall be allowed to represent themselves,
their fellow farmers, or their organizations in any proceedings before the
DAR: Provided, however, That when there are two or more representatives
for any individual or group, the representatives should choose only one among
themselves to represent such party or group before any DAR proceedings.
"Notwithstanding an appeal to the Court of Appeals, the decision of
the DAR shall be immediately executory except a decision or a portion
thereof involving solely the issue of just compensation." aIcSED

SECTION 19. Section 50 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby

further amended by adding Section 50-A to read as follows:
"SEC. 50-A. Exclusive Jurisdiction on Agrarian Dispute. — No court
or prosecutor's office shall take cognizance of cases pertaining to the
implementation of the CARP except those provided under Section 57 of
Republic Act No. 6657, as amended. If there is an allegation from any of the
parties that the case is agrarian in nature and one of the parties is a farmer,
farmworker, or tenant, the case shall be automatically referred by the judge or
the prosecutor to the DAR which shall determine and certify within fifteen
(15) days from referral whether an agrarian dispute exists: Provided, That
from the determination of the DAR, an aggrieved party shall have judicial
recourse. In cases referred by the municipal trial court and the prosecutor's
office, the appeal shall be with the proper regional trial court, and in cases
referred by the regional trial court, the appeal shall be to the Court of
Appeals.
"In cases where regular courts or quasi-judicial bodies have competent
jurisdiction, agrarian reform beneficiaries or identified beneficiaries and/or
their associations shall have legal standing and interest to intervene
concerning their individual or collective rights and/or interests under the
CARP.
 "The fact of non-registration of such associations with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, or Cooperative Development Authority, or any
concerned government agency shall not be used against them to deny the
existence of their legal standing and interest in a case filed before such courts
and quasi- judicial bodies."
SECTION 20. Section 55 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows: ECaAHS

"SEC. 55. No Restraining Order or Preliminary Injunction. —

Except for the Supreme Court, no court in the Philippines shall have
jurisdiction to issue any restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction
against the PARC, the DAR, or any of its duly authorized or designated
agencies in any case, dispute or controversy arising from, necessary to, or in
connection with the application, implementation, enforcement, or
interpretation of this Act and other pertinent laws on agrarian reform."
SECTION 21. Section 63 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 63. Funding Source. — The amount needed to further
implement the CARP as provided in this Act, until June 30, 2014, upon
expiration of funding under Republic Act No. 8532 and other pertinent laws,
shall be funded from the Agrarian Reform Fund and other funding sources in
the amount of at least One hundred fifty billion pesos (P150,000,000,000.00).
"Additional amounts are hereby authorized to be appropriated as and
when needed to augment the Agrarian Reform Fund in order to fully
implement the provisions of this Act during the five (5)- year extension period.
"Sources of funding or appropriations shall include the following:
"(a) Proceeds of the sales of the Privatization and Management
Office (PMO);
"(b) All receipts from assets recovered and from sales of ill- gotten
wealth recovered through the PCGG excluding the amount appropriated for
compensation to victims of human rights violations under the applicable law;
ITCcAD
"(c) Proceeds of the disposition and development of the properties of
the Government in foreign countries, for the specific purposes of financing
production credits, infrastructure and other support services required by this
Act;
"(d) All income and collections of whatever form and nature arising
from the agrarian reform operations, projects and programs of the DAR and
other CARP implementing agencies;
"(e) Portion of amounts accruing to the Philippines from all sources
of official foreign aid grants and concessional financing from all countries, to
 be used for the specific purposes of financing productions, credits,
infrastructures, and other support services required by this Act;
"(f) Yearly appropriations of no less than Five billion pesos
(P5,000,000,000.00) from the General Appropriations Act;
"(g) Gratuitous financial assistance from legitimate sources; and
(h) Other government funds not otherwise appropriated.
"All funds appropriated to implement the provisions of this Act shall
be considered continuing appropriations during the period of its
implementation: Provided, That if the need arises, specific amounts for bond
redemptions, interest payments and other existing obligations arising from the
implementation of the program shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act: Provided, further, That all just compensation payments to
landowners, including execution of judgments therefor, shall only be sourced
from the Agrarian Reform Fund: Provided, however, That just compensation
payments that cannot be covered within the approved annual budget of the
program shall be chargeable against the debt service program of the national
government, or any unprogrammed item in the General Appropriations Act:
Provided, finally, That after the completion of the land acquisition and
distribution component of the CARP, the yearly appropriation shall be
allocated fully to support services, agrarian justice delivery and operational
requirements of the DAR and the other CARP implementing agencies."
IaAEHD
SECTION 22. Section 65 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 65. Conversion of Lands. — After the lapse of five (5) years
from its award, when the land ceases to be economically feasible and sound
for agricultural purposes, or the locality has become urbanized and the land
will have a greater economic value for residential, commercial or industrial
purposes, the DAR, upon application of the beneficiary or the landowner with
respect only to his/her retained area which is tenanted, with due notice to the
affected parties, and subject to existing laws, may authorize the
reclassification or conversion of the land and its disposition: Provided, That if
the applicant is a beneficiary under agrarian laws and the land sought to be
converted is the land awarded to him/her or any portion thereof, the applicant,
after the conversion is granted, shall invest at least ten percent (10%) of the
proceeds coming from the conversion in government securities: Provided,
further, That the applicant upon conversion shall fully pay the price of the
land: Provided, furthermore, That irrigated and irrigable lands, shall not be
subject to conversion: Provided, finally, That the National Irrigation
Administration shall submit a consolidated data on the location nationwide of
all irrigable lands within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act.
"Failure to implement the conversion plan within five (5) years from
the approval of such conversion plan or any violation of the conditions of the
 conversion order due to the fault of the applicant shall cause the land to
automatically be covered by CARP."
SECTION 23. Section 68 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 68. Immunity of Government Agencies from Undue
Interference. — In cases falling within their jurisdiction, no injunction,
restraining order, prohibition or mandamus shall be issued by the regional trial
courts, municipal trial courts, municipal circuit trial courts, and metropolitan
trial courts against the DAR, the DA, the DENR, and the Department of
Justice in their implementation of the Program."
SECTION 24. Section 73 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows: SEIDAC

"SEC. 73. Prohibited Acts and Omissions. — The following are

prohibited:
"(a) The ownership or possession, for the purpose of circumventing
the provisions of this Act, of agricultural lands in excess of the total retention
limits or award ceilings by any person, natural or juridical, except those under
collective ownership by farmer-beneficiaries;
"(b) The forcible entry or illegal detainer by persons who are not
qualified beneficiaries under this Act to avail themselves of the rights and
benefits of the Agrarian Reform Program;
"(c) Any conversion by any landowner of his/her agricultural land
into any non-agricultural use with intent to avoid the application of this Act to
his/her landholdings and to dispossess his/her bonafide tenant farmers;
"(d) The malicious and willful prevention or obstruction by any
person, association or entity of the implementation of the CARP;
"(e) The sale, transfer, conveyance or change of the nature of lands
outside of urban centers and city limits either in whole or in part after the
effectivity of this Act, except after final completion of the appropriate
conversion under Section 65 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended. The date
of the registration of the deed of conveyance in the Register of Deeds with
respect to titled lands and the date of the issuance of the tax declaration to the
transferee of the property with respect to unregistered lands, as the case may
be, shall be conclusive for the purpose of this Act;
"(f) The sale, transfer or conveyance by a beneficiary of the right to
use or any other usufructuary right over the land he/she acquired by virtue of
being a beneficiary, in order to circumvent the provisions of this Act;
acHETI
"(g) The unjustified, willful, and malicious act by a responsible
officer or officers of the government through the following:
"(1) The denial of notice and/or reply to landowners;
 "(2) The deprivation of retention rights;
"(3) The undue or inordinate delay in the preparation of claim
folders; or
"(4) Any undue delay, refusal or failure in the payment of just
compensation;
"(h) The undue delay or unjustified failure of the DAR, the LBP, the
PARC, the PARCCOM, and any concerned government agency or any
government official or employee to submit the required report, data and/or
other official document involving the implementation of the provisions of this
Act, as required by the parties or the government, including the House of
Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines as well as their respective
committees, and the congressional oversight committee created herein;
"(i) The undue delay in the compliance with the obligation to certify
or attest and/or falsification of the certification or attestation as required under
Section 7 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended; and
"(j) Any other culpable neglect or willful violations of the provisions
of this Act. TCaEIc
"In the case of government officials and employees, a conviction
under this Act is without prejudice to any civil case and/or appropriate
administrative proceedings under civil service law, rules and regulations.
"Any person convicted under this Act shall not be entitled to any
benefit provided for in any agrarian reform law or program."
SECTION 25. Section 74 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 74. Penalties. — Any person who knowingly or willfully
violates the provisions of this Act shall be punished by imprisonment of not
less than one (1) month to not more than three (3) years or a fine of not less
than One thousand pesos (P1,000.00) and not more than Fifteen thousand
pesos (P15,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court: Provided, That the
following corresponding penalties shall be imposed for the specific violations
hereunder:
"(a) Imprisonment of three (3) years and one (1) day to six (6) years
or a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) and not more than
One hundred fifty thousand pesos (P150,000.00), or both, at the discretion of
the court upon any person who violates Section 73, subparagraphs (a), (b), (f),
(g), and (h) of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended; and
"(b) Imprisonment of six (6) years and one (1) day to twelve (12)
years or a fine of not less than Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00)
and not more than One million pesos (P1,000,000.00), or both, at the
discretion of the court upon any person who violates Section 73,
subparagraphs (c), (d), (e), and (i) of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended.
 "If the offender is a corporation or association, the officer responsible
therefor shall be criminally liable."IHCSTE

SECTION 26. Congressional Oversight Committee. — A Congressional

Oversight Committee on Agrarian Reform (COCAR) is hereby created to oversee and
monitor the implementation of this Act. It shall be composed of the Chairpersons of
the Committee on Agrarian Reform of both Houses of Congress, three (3) Members
of the House of Representatives, and three (3) Members of the Senate of the
Philippines, to be designated respectively by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President of the Senate of the Philippines.
The Chairpersons of the Committees on Agrarian Reform of the House of
Representatives and of the Senate of the Philippines shall be the Chairpersons of the
COCAR. The Members shall receive no compensation; however, traveling and other
necessary expenses shall be allowed.
In order to carry out the objectives of this Act, the COCAR shall be provided
with the necessary appropriations for its operation. An initial amount of Twenty-five
million pesos (P25,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated for the COCAR for the first
year of its operation and the same amount shall be appropriated every year thereafter.
CAaD T H

The term of the COCAR shall end six (6) months after the expiration of the
extended period of five (5) years.
SECTION 27. Powers and Functions of the COCAR. — The COCAR shall
have the following powers and functions:
(a) Prescribe and adopt guidelines which shall govern its work;
(b) Hold hearings and consultations, receive testimonies and reports
pertinent to its specified concerns;
(c) Secure from any department, bureau, office or instrumentality of
the government such assistance as may be needed, including technical
information, preparation and production of reports and submission of
recommendations or plans as it may require, particularly a yearly report
of the record or performance of each agrarian reform beneficiary as
provided under Section 22 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended;
(d) Secure from the DAR or the LBP information on the amount of
just compensation determined to be paid or which has been paid to any
landowner;
(e) Secure from the DAR or the LBP quarterly reports on the
disbursement of funds for the agrarian reform program;
(f) Oversee and monitor, in such a manner as it may deem
necessary, the actual implementation of the program and projects by the
DAR;
 (g) Summon by subpoena any public or private citizen to testify
before it, or require by subpoena duces tecum to produce before it such
records, reports, or other documents as may be necessary in the
performance of its functions; aEIADT

(h) Engage the services of resource persons from the public and
private sectors as well as civil society including the various agrarian
reform groups or organizations in the different regions of the country as
may be needed;
(i) Approve the budget for the work of the Committee and all
disbursements therefrom, including compensation of all personnel;
(j) Organize its staff and hire and appoint such employees and
personnel whether temporary, contractual or on consultancy, subject to
applicable rules; and
(k) Exercise all the powers necessary and incidental to attain the
purposes for which it is created.
SECTION 28. Periodic Reports. — The COCAR shall submit to the Speaker
of the House of Representatives and to the President of the Senate of the Philippines
periodic reports on its findings and recommendations on actions to be undertaken by
both Houses of Congress, the DAR, and the PARC.
SECTION 29. Access to Information. — Notwithstanding the provisions of
Republic Act No. 1405 and other pertinent laws, information on the amount of just
compensation paid to any landowner under Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, and
other agrarian reform laws shall be deemed public information.
SECTION 30. Resolution of Cases. — Any case and/or proceeding involving
the implementation of the provisions of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, which
may remain pending on June 30, 2014 shall be allowed to proceed to its finality and
be executed even beyond such date. TSacCH

SECTION 31. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The PARC and the
DAR shall provide the necessary implementing rules and regulations within thirty
(30) days upon the approval of this Act. Such rules and regulations shall take effect
on July 1, 2009 and it shall be published in at least two (2) newspapers of general
circulation.
SECTION 32. Repealing Clause. — Section 53 of Republic Act No. 3844,
otherwise known as the Agricultural Land Reform Code, is hereby repealed and all
other laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof
inconsistent with this Act are hereby likewise repealed or amended accordingly.
SECTION 33. Separability Clause. — If, for any reason, any section or
provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or
provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
 SECTION 34. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2009
and it shall be published in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved: August 7, 2009
Published in the Philippine Star on August 24, 2009.